Correct way to fix heads that have been ported through the walls?

I don't know if this qualifies as an "advanced tech" question but I know that the people that frequent this area are the most qualified to answer this question.

I have been suffering from significant oil consumption since I've had my stroker built. Just recently I have pulled the heads and found the heads have been ported so extensively that the side of the port where the pushrods holes are have been ported through on multiple ports. The porter filled the holes with epoxy and it appears to have cracked or come loose. It is obvious that some of the ports that have been epoxied up have been pulling significant oil from the lifter valley.

My questions are:

1) Is it normal for the porter to go through the port side wall when doing a high end porting job?

2) Is using epoxy an acceptable method of fixing the holes on a daily driven vehicle?

3) What is the proper way to fix my problem?

4) Any recommendations on who can fix this for me...PROPERLY?

After spending 4 days pulling it apart, this thing needs to be fixed right or it's not going back on. I'd rather not scrap the heads because they seem to work pretty good, but if they can't be fixed reliably then to the garbage bin they go.

TIA

1: Yes if you're porting some heads for all out racing. A street strip car doesn't need that much port work.

2: Usually. I've also seen massive port work that goes around head bolts. The entire area is ported out then sleeves are installed where the head bolts go through the port work. Not sure how it could be done around the pushrods but the same technique could probably be used.

3: Have it welded back up and try again

4: For what it would cost, it would probably be cheaper to buy new heads and start again.

How can you say that repairing pushrod reliefs costs MORE than buying new heads and having them done? Around here, you would spend a couple hundred dollars having those holes welded and a set of heads is obviously several thousand.

My bigger concern would be that whoever ported those heads failed to repair them in the first place. It would be wise to have a qualified shop inspect and test the heads to see how good or bad the port job is:(

Good luck.

You're not going to find many repair shops that will weld cast iron especially in a port area. So instead of welding, epoxy is the repair of choice although as mentioned above, it doesn't always work.

The heads are aluminum, in case that makes a difference to the price tag. I certainly hope that they can be repaired as they are not easily replaceable as they aren't being made anymore. They also cost a pretty penny to begin with. Not to mention they seem to work very well, other than the oil consumption.

Has anyone tried welding a set of aluminum heads before? Any tips?

In the worst case if welding is not possible I'll try to expoxy them back up myseld. If that's the case, what's the strongest, nastiest epoxy out there? 8)

Ahh. That's different. Unless there's extensive damage especially around the valve seat area, aluminum heads can easily be welded up. Even my aluminum welding could weld up an aluminum head.

TIG or heliarc would be the best but anyone competent enough with a MIG could do it.

I had to fix a hole in a metering block that someone created while modifing it. They used some epoxy but it wasn't compatable with alcohol. I used a hot glue gun to fix the hole and it works fine.

You want an epoxy like they use to secure the lifter valley screens in a BBC block. The stuff is as hard as metal when dry and bonds to the metal that nothing short of a grinder will take it off.

Maybe try some JB Weld http://www.jbweld.com/coldweld.html I've fixed minor cracks in blocks with this stuff. I've seen big repairs fixed with it also.

never knew you could mig weld an aluminum head!

I guess it might have been a good idea to mention up front what material the heads were made from.

They're made out of A356 aluminum and heat treated to T6 standards. 8)

Yeah I assumed everyone had an LT1 or LS1 with aluminum heads. Bad assumption I guess, forgot about the iron headed versions.

I had a set of heads to the same thing your did right after I had my stroker built..It smoked like a freight train and used oil like crazy. Anyways, we tried epoxing it but it didnt hold..Either 1)pull the heads and get it welded and risk the chance of another port blowing through down the road or 2) I would try and get your money back from the porter and go somewhere else..

Cody

Originally posted by 7zark7
They're made out of A356 aluminum and heat treated to T6 standards. 8)

Yeah I assumed everyone had an LT1 or LS1 with aluminum heads. Bad assumption I guess, forgot about the iron headed versions. He didn't ask, and these days I assume anybody that's having a high effort port job done is using aluminum unless told otherwise. Such a port job on iron would be far more expensive.

Anyway, ther are micro gas torches that can easily weld a repair in an iron head's pushrod clearance area.

Originally posted by 7zark7
The heads are aluminum, in case that makes a difference to the price tag. I certainly hope that they can be repaired as they are not easily replaceable as they aren't being made anymore. They also cost a pretty penny to begin with. Not to mention they seem to work very well, other than the oil consumption.

Has anyone tried welding a set of aluminum heads before? Any tips?

In the worst case if welding is not possible I'll try to expoxy them back up myseld. If that's the case, what's the strongest, nastiest epoxy out there? 8) As I said before, you need to get these to a shop before installing them. They can be welded and it won't be expensive.

Yeah I'm going around locally getting some people to look at them and guaging what to do.

I am open to suggestions though. Who would be the best people to do this? Can anyone recommend someone who can take care of this?

My concern is that the ports may need to be welded from the inside as there isn't a lot of room on the outside of the port wall due to pushrod clearance issues. If that happens I need someone very adept at porting to clean up those ports and match them to the existing ones somehow. I haven't found someone able to take care of the latter part to my satisfaction.

I went through the wall of one of my ports (intake) when porting my heads. It was due to a casting shift right in the pushrod pinch area. I just took it to my machine shop and they hooked me up with the guy that did all their aluminum welding. Two days later it was fixed and I just smoothed out the welds and finished the rest of the porting.

BBB

If I remember right most hi po lt1 heads will break through on 2 intake ports. they are not in contact with any oil and you should use sealent on the rocker arm stud beacuse that is where the oil will drip in from. That is the "pinch" your referring to? Let me know. No need to weld them if its what I think it is.....

My heads were welded in the push rod area to pick up more room I guess. I can see all eight rocker stud holes in my intake ports. I just sealed the studds as I installed them ;)

Exactly what he said..On my heads you can see the studs, but it is nothing to worry about just use sealent

Originally posted by BBB
I went through the wall of one of my ports (intake) when porting my heads. It was due to a casting shift right in the pushrod pinch area. I just took it to my machine shop and they hooked me up with the guy that did all their aluminum welding. Two days later it was fixed and I just smoothed out the welds and finished the rest of the porting.

From my perspective, and with resources at my disposal, I find it foolish to open the cross section area, in the push rod area 'blind'. IOW, I see a small but worthwhile investment in time with a height gage, to determine the exact the wall thickness, and more importantly reference lines to work with, to know precisely when the wall will break thru. This time investment required to do the layout work, pays dividends, if it means preventing time and money in weld repair.

Three words, "port intruder kit".

;)

-Mindgame